The mystery of the Malaysian plane: The BBC reported today (Wednesday) that the international investigation team discovered that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally approved the delivery of the missile that brought down the Malaysian airliner over Ukraine in 2014 – to the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
According to the prosecutors, there is strong evidence for the claim, yet it is claimed that Putin only provided the missile but was not directly involved in ordering the downing of the plane.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 made its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, and was intercepted while in the skies over eastern Ukraine. Russia denies any involvement in the downing of the plane, which had almost 300 passengers and crew on board.
The prosecution in the Netherlands announced the suspension of the investigation, after exhausting all avenues.
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, said that he is disappointed that the investigators do not have enough material to open further prosecution procedures in the case, and promised that his country will continue to act so that Russia will bring justice to the incident.
The European Union already accused Russia in 2018 of launching the missile that led to the downing of the plane, and urged it to accept responsibility for the act. However, the Kremlin rejected the accusations, arguing that Russia was not a full partner in the investigation, and therefore it cannot trust the findings.